I’ve been eating lots of low-carb meals lately. I find that I feel better and have more energy when I’m not stuffed full of starches. I finally realized that potatoes act on me like a sleeping pill and that pasta makes me feel like I’m doing everything in slow motion. So I seldom eat those things.

Now I’m not talking about going on that diet where you can eat a pound of bacon for breakfast or a 20-ounce steak for supper. I’m talking about just leaving off some carb calories you don’t need.

For instance, when I go to Dairy Queen, I order the taco salad without the shell, without the beans, with extra cheese and jalapenos on the side. I get that several times a week.

When I go to the Empresario, they have a sandwich there that has a chicken breast, cheese, mushrooms, and bacon. I leave off the bread and substitute a side salad for the fries. It is very, very good.

It is week 10 of my “20 pounds in 20 weeks” goal and I’m doing pretty well with it, losing about 13 pounds so far, just by making simple substitutions like I’ve just mentioned.

Going to swim aerobics Tuesday through Thursday evenings at the city pool is also helping. That class is a lot of fun and Renee is an excellent instructor.

I make these one dish meat-vegetable dishes quite often. There is enough for several meals of leftovers so I’m not constantly cooking just for me.

Low-Carb Chicken

and Cream Cheese

with Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 8-10 chicken tenders, remove membranes and cut into 2-3 pieces each

• olive oil

• creole seasoning

• juice of half a lemon

• 1 8-oz. block cream cheese, cubed

• ½ bag frozen broccoli crowns, slightly thawed

• real bacon bits (from a bag), optional

• garlic powder

Instructions:

• Put your prepared chicken tender pieces in a Ziplock bag (or bowl) along with a couple of splashes of olive oil, a few of good sprinkles of Creole seasoning, and the juice of half a lemon. Squish it around together and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

• Heat oven to 350. Spray a baking dish wish Pam.

• Place the seasoned chicken in the baking dish.

• Sprinkle the broccoli on top. Dot with the cubes of cream cheese.

• Sprinkle on some bacon bits, if using.

• Shake on a little garlic powder.

• Put in the oven and lightly cover with some aluminum foil.

• After about 15-20 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and stir everything together. If you do not stir it, the cream cheese just sits on top. There should be some juice from the chicken that allows the cream cheese to turn into a nice sauce.

• Bake 8-10 minutes more or just until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Cook’s notes: I put my frozen broccoli in a small strainer and ran hot water over it to melt the ice crystals that had formed. If you are sharing this with carb-eaters, it is good served over cooked buttered rice.

Low-Carb Cheeseburger Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 ½ lbs. ground beef

• ½ small onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• ½ teaspoon garlic salt

• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Steam cauliflower until soft but not mushy.

• While cauliflower is cooking, brown hamburger with the onion and garlic.

• Drain off grease.

• Break up cooked cauliflower into smaller pieces.

• Add to hamburger, along with seasonings and cheese.

• Mix until cheese is melted.

Cook’s notes: I cook the entire head of cauliflower and just add in as much or as little of it as I want and save the rest to use later. I sometimes make this with cooked yellow squash or sautéed cabbage instead of the cauliflower. I just like the combo of seasoned meat and vegetables and it makes a quick meal. My mom made something similar where she would add a can of drained corn, a can of drained green beans, and a can of diced tomatoes to the cooked meat.